The Tool Desk
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What “ARM AArch64 support” means here
This guide covers Linux on the ARM 64-bit architecture, commonly identified by Linux as arm64. It does not establish support for every operating system, ARM device, distribution package, kernel build, or tracing feature. Architecture support is a starting point; what works on a particular machine depends on its kernel, configuration, user-space tools, access controls, and—when using hardware counters—the processor’s PMU.
Choose a tool by the question you need to answer
| Tool or facility | Best starting point | Check on the target device | Main qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| bpftrace / eBPF | Concise scripts for kernel or user-space probes and event aggregation. | Tool version, kernel features and configuration, permissions, available symbols or BTF as needed, and whether the desired probe or event exists. | The bpftrace 0.21 documentation lists arm64 as a supported architecture, not every probe type on every kernel. bpftrace 0.21 documentation |
| ftrace / tracefs | Kernel function tracing, filters, and event tracing through kernel tracing interfaces. | Tracing support in the kernel build and the functions and events exposed by the running kernel. | It is a kernel facility; individual functions and tracing capabilities depend on the build and runtime environment. ftrace documentation and event tracing documentation |
| perf | Sampling, profiling, and processor performance-event analysis. | The SoC’s PMU, kernel-exposed event sources, and access permissions. | A generic event name does not mean every Arm processor implements or exposes the same event. Linux ARM64 perf documentation |
| BCC | More substantial or custom eBPF tools where a Python or other front end is useful. | Distribution packages, kernel/BPF support, and ARM64 build availability for the particular tool. | The bpftrace project points to BCC for complex tools, but the available documentation does not establish a comprehensive current ARM64 support matrix for every BCC tool. bpftrace documentation |
A practical rule: start with the least complex option that exposes the data you need. For a known kernel event, inspect tracepoints first; for a function-call question, check whether the needed function is traceable; for CPU sampling or counters, start with perf and the target’s PMU.
When bpftrace and eBPF are a good fit
bpftrace is a high-level language for writing tracing programs. Its documentation describes static and dynamic tracing of Linux kernel and user space, including probe families such as kprobes, uprobes, tracepoints, USDT, and perf events where supported. Use it when you need to combine events, filter them, or summarize observations without building a larger custom tool. The project documentation describes bpftrace 0.21 and explicitly lists arm64 among its supported architectures. Read the versioned bpftrace documentation.
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That listing is not a promise that every probe family works on every ARM64 kernel. A dynamic probe may need a discoverable symbol or other required metadata; an event may not exist on the target; and the kernel must provide the relevant BPF and tracing capabilities. The project’s dependency policy for its current branch lists Linux 6.1 as the minimum supported kernel and specifies required kernel options. Treat that as a policy for that branch, not a retroactive minimum for every earlier bpftrace release; check the policy alongside the installed version. bpftrace project · dependency support policy.
Watchpoints are explicitly architecture-dependent in the bpftrace documentation. Do not assume that an ARM64 architecture listing makes a particular watchpoint or other specialized probe available on your processor and kernel.
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When to use ftrace and tracepoints
ftrace is a Linux kernel tracing facility. It supports kernel function tracing and filters, while the kernel event-tracing interfaces expose available events. This makes ftrace a direct place to investigate kernel behavior without first writing an eBPF script. The kernel documentation explains the available ftrace mechanisms and event interfaces. ftrace documentation · event tracing documentation.
Inspect the functions and events on the actual machine rather than assuming that a name found in an example exists in its kernel. Dynamic function tracing depends on kernel build and runtime support, and function patching is architecture-dependent. A documented tracepoint is generally a more appropriate choice for repeatable diagnostics when it provides the information you need; a probe on an implementation function can be more specific, but is tied to that function being present and traceable.
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The ftrace documentation says dynamic ftrace runs with “virtually no overhead” while function tracing is disabled. That is a conditional statement about the disabled state, not a claim that actively tracing has zero overhead or a performance comparison for current ARM64 devices. ftrace documentation.
When perf is the right starting point
Choose perf when the question is about profiling, sampling, or processor performance events. On ARM64, the PMU implementation and the events exposed by the kernel matter: the architecture name alone does not establish a universal set of hardware counters. Consult the Linux ARM64 perf documentation and validate the event on the exact SoC and kernel you are using. Linux ARM64 perf documentation.
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Perf also participates in tracing workflows, but it is not interchangeable with a scriptable bpftrace probe or ftrace’s kernel tracing controls. Select it because the data source you need is profiling or a supported performance event—not simply because a processor is 64-bit ARM.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Check compatibility on the machine you will trace
- Record the environment. Note the Linux kernel release, reported architecture, SoC or processor, distribution, and versions of the installed tracing tools. For bpftrace, check
bpftrace --versionand use documentation matching that release; the project warns that packaged versions can differ from the versioned documentation. - Discover the target’s functions and events. Use bpftrace’s probe-listing mode to check candidate probes. For ftrace, inspect the kernel’s available-function and event interfaces. For perf, query the event sources exposed on that system and confirm that the PMU supports the event you intend to use. Do not carry names over from another kernel or SoC without checking.
- Check kernel configuration and runtime access. For bpftrace, compare the running kernel with the options in the project’s dependency policy, including BPF, BPF syscall/JIT, BPF events, function tracing, dynamic ftrace, kprobes, uprobes, and debugfs support. Also check whether the relevant tracing or debug filesystem is mounted and whether security restrictions or permissions allow access.
- Match the probe to the interface. Prefer a tracepoint when its documented event answers the question and a repeatable interface matters. Use a dynamic function probe when you specifically need that function’s behavior and have verified it is available. Use perf for supported sampling and PMU events.
- Keep the setup with the result. Record kernel, architecture, processor, tool version, relevant configuration, and the discovered event or function name with any reproduction notes. These details help distinguish a tool limitation from a device or kernel difference.
Why ARM64 support does not guarantee a working probe
- Kernel build: tracing and BPF features may be omitted from a kernel even when it runs on arm64.
- Runtime state and permissions: filesystems, security policy, and privilege affect which tracing interfaces can be used.
- Probe target: a function or user-space symbol must be available in the form the tool needs, and a particular event must exist on the target.
- Tool version: packaged tools and documentation describe specific versions; capabilities and dependencies can differ between releases.
- Processor PMU: hardware events depend on the SoC’s performance-monitoring implementation and kernel exposure, not just the ISA name.
It also matters whether an interface is a documented tracepoint or a dynamic probe on an implementation detail. Both can be useful, but they make different promises about what is being observed and how much the tracing setup depends on a particular kernel’s internals.
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How much weight to give older ARM64 tool comparisons
A 2017 Linux Foundation presentation titled “Dynamic Tracing Tools on ARM AArch64 Platform” documents a Renesas R-Car Gen3 Salvator-X system running Linux 4.9 with additional kernel patches, including AArch64 uprobes work. Its tool assessments describe that development environment and were labeled as personal opinion; they should not be read as a current support ranking. 2017 presentation.
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